Innovation - Creating the Strategic Opportunities

The teams had worked hard. They brainstormed the innovations, grouped them, formed their teams, identified the benefits and overcome the obstacles. Now they were ready for the last stage of the innovation process. This stage is where some understanding of project management helps. The teams prepared themselves to present their ideas and the process to successfully implement them, to the association's management. However, without some detail regarding how they should be implemented, by whom, with what resources, what budget requirements and within what time frame; it is unlikely the association will be able to take these innovations and move them into reality. This last stage is crucial and often overlooked. Great ideas but they don't go anywhere. Just like many strategic plans, they sit on someone's shelves - rarely to implemented. Some associations with whom I have worked successfully implemented many of the innovations. They have seen positive impacts on attendance, content, etc. Others are still sitting with them, wondering how to increase attendance at their conferences and other events. Not realizing they have the answers. Their members already provided it to them. Please don't let this happen to you. If you're going to use this process, let me know. I'd love to help ensure it has a tremendous, positive impact on you.

Innovation - Overcoming the Obstacles

The teams identified the benefits of moving forward with their innovations. Realistically, there are barriers or obstacles to implementing these, despite their benefits. These can be as fundamental as budget, history, culture, time, resources, etc. They may be more advanced such as technology, organizational structure, departmental layouts, etc. Regardless, the team brainstormed all of the obstacles and discussed how to overcome most of them. This did take some time. Research was required for some of them. Benchmarking against other organizations was also necessary. This helped to uncover what other organizations had done in similar situations. Once all obstacles were identified the teams discussed and recorded the strategies needed to overcome these barreirs. Now we were ready for the last stage of the innovation process.

Innovation - Beginning the Process

I've been on the road for awhile but it's time for me to continue my story. As you may recall, the teams labelled each group of ideas, for example, “registration process”, “speakers”, “social”, “receptions”, etc. Then they went to each group and began exploring them in more depth. It is critically important they no process of elimination of any ideas is permitted. Only exact duplicates can be removed.

The teams began to identify and list out the benefits of moving forward with each group of ideas. "What will be the benefit of using the ideas in under the registration process group?" What will be the benefits of the ideas, if implemented, under the speaker group?" etc. If you think for a moment of the greatest inventions of all time you'll probably think of the light bulb, electricity, the phone, the car, etc. Before moving forward with all of the ideas which led to these "group of thoughts", the inventors spent time thinking about the benefits before moving into the next stages of their innovation process.

My next blog will give you the next steps in the innovation process.

Innovation - The Next Steps to Improve Your Conferences

My last Blog introduced you to the concept of holding an Innovation session for conference attendees focussed on creating the “ideal” conference format. I started the session by asking everyone to brainstorm everything that would happen, that they would be engaged in, that they would experience, etc. that would make it an amazing conference. Each idea was written on post-it notes. One idea per post-it note. No discussion, this is done individually. Then I had them break into teams of 8. Each team posted their notes onto flip chart paper and began the process of combining similar ideas into groups. This process, known as the development of an Affinity Diagram, generated many different groups of ideas in each team. They labelled each group. For example, “registration process”, “speakers”, “social”, “receptions”, etc. My next Blog will discuss the next steps.

Innovation - How to Get it Going at Your Conference

My last Blog spoke about the need to be more innovative in how conferences are managed. It is very difficult for staff and volunteers to break the mould. It is always easier to introduce small, incremental change. The best place to start on the Innovation Journey is to engage the conference participants. At the American Society for Quality’s World Conference I held two back-to-back concurrent sessions focussed on how to create an “ideal” conference for them. I needed a full morning to do this, hence the need for back-to-back sessions. When published in the conference brochure, it was certainly a different type of session from all of the others. Nevertheless, 150 people showed up. Wow!!! My next Blog will explain how I managed the session.

Innovation at Conferences

I have spoken at many conferences this year across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. The one thing I have found in common in all of them is the “same as last year” formula. Every conference is structured the same. An opening reception, a morning keynote speaker (this is where I am usually positioned), concurrent sessions, lunch, banquet dinner, etc. It is boring. Not the content, the format. It is time for these organizations to think more innovatively about their conferences. I will explain how to do this in subsequent Blogs so stay tuned.

Travelling and Auditing Projects

I know that this may seem a little unusual a combination for a blog title. I have been auditing projects for sometime now. I am always fascinated to identify the root causes of projects in crisis and then to provide the project manager and team with clear strategies on how to turn their projects around. Having created tremendous, measurable success on many construction, heavy industry and IT projects I was asked to develop a workshop on How to Audit Projects and Provide Risk Assurance. I hadn't really thought about educating others on my process but decided to take up this challenge and develop a workshop.

That was a couple of years ago and since then I have delivered it successfully in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. I'll be leaving in a few weeks to give this workshop in Jakarta on August 25 to 26, 2008. It is very practical. Participants keep telling me how much of an impact it has had on their projects. If you're interested in more information, drop me a line at mstanleigh@bia.ca It'd be great to meet you and see you there. I'd be happy to send you outlines and/or any other information you need.

All the best,

Michael